Henri DeLattre, The Race Between Mac and Zachary Taylor at Hunting Park Course, Philadelphia, July 18, 1849, Oil on canvas, Red Fox Fine Art. Click to inquire

Today's Kentucky Derby kickoff inspires this post's horse themed craze. As an American institution dating back to 1875, the fastest two minutes in sports sees majestic thoroughbreds race to a crowd accessorized with wide-brimmed hats. The pomp and circumstance of Southern charm surrounding the first weeks in May seemingly garners more notoriety than the powerhouses gambled on.

Howard Everett Smith, At the Horse Show, Oil on canvas, George Stern Fine Arts. Click to inquire

FADA's eclectic selection of horse subjects often revolves around the legends of Western steeds, the pre-twentieth century preferred mode of transportation, with cowboys and wagons galore.

Gene Kloss, Buttes of Lukachukai; 28/35, Etching, David Cook Fine Art. Click to inquire

Olaf Wieghorst, Untitled, Cowboy on horseback rifle left arm, Pastel on paper, Thomas Nygard Gallery. Click to inquire

Juxtaposing the roughness of the lawless West, comes refined studies of grazing horses, as seen in Rosa Bonheur's Horses in a Landscape. Nevertheless, each artist's representation of the regal animal exudes a gracefulness only befitting today's races.

Rosa Bonheur, Horse in a Landscape, Oil on canvas, Rehs Galleries. Click to inquire

Todd Reifers, Hay Wagon with Horse Team, Oil on linen, Eckert & Ross Fine Art. Click to inquire